Before moving forward, let’s find out what is the difference between the
terms:

Upcycling: taking the waste as it is to create something totally new that usually is of higher value than the original goods. For example repurposing coffee grounds into shoes.

Recycling: sorting, breaking down and processing the waste to create something totally new that is roughly of the same value than the original goods. For example a used plastic bottle is taken into recycling and turned into a new plastic bottle which again, at some point, ends up into recycling.

Downcycling: sorting, breaking down and processing the waste to expand the life cycle of the raw material before tossing it for good. For example an old t-shirt gets a new life as a cleaning